It didn't escape Furina's notice the days Aether stayed over were the days after she had a worse-than-usual bout of nightmares. It was also those days when her nightmares were tamer to non-existent. Furina didn't know how she felt about that— Aether being the reason she could sleep better at night was odd to think about.

To be honest, she didn't know what to think of Aether in general either. Their relationship now was a far cry from how it started; she was sure they were friends but it was hard to say for sure if they were just friends. Furina had seen enough plays and court trials to know what was going on between them was not typical friendly behaviour.

That was not to say she disliked it of course. Even if she was against him cooking as a guest, Furina appreciated the effort and liked the food he made. His staying over regularly and occasionally helping her buy groceries helped stave the feeling of loneliness she had when at home. She knew she was being a fool in ignoring the signs but she dared not get her hopes up; it was better they stayed as friends anyway.

"Good luck with the Guild." Furina usually told him when he left in the morning. That morning was no different as she said goodbye to him (and Paimon). As soon as the door closed behind him though, a tired sigh escaped the former Archon. 'Well… at least Clorinde is coming over today…' The dull boredom that usually awaited her every time Aether left was not going to get her today.

She briefly contemplated taking a walk before making the preparations for Clorinde's arrival but decided against it. She didn't want to risk being seen by the public yet— not by herself. Instead, she lazed around in her bedroom for a bit until it was time.

"You know, I've heard of a peculiar rumour that's been going around lately."

"Hmm? What about?" Furina asked with slight disinterest in her voice. She normally didn't put too much stock in such things as they tend to overblow things— especially as more and more people talk about it. That wasn't to say she didn't believe any rumours but she always looked at them with some scepticism.

As she sipped from her cup, Clorinde said with complete seriousness, "Apparently, the former Hydro Archon has a new boyfrien—"

"Pfft!" Furina spit out her tea and came down with a coughing fit. It took her nearly a whole minute to recover before her eyes snapped towards Clorinde, who was calmly drinking her own tea. "Ae–Aether and I are only friends. Nothing more."

"Oh? I didn't even imply it was him."

Furina rolled her eyes at her attempt to tease her. "Who else could it be? It's not like I'm meeting with anyone to the same extent as him." Not even Clorinde came close; her former bodyguard still had her job after all.

"So is there any truth to these rumours?" Clorinde asked.

"I just said we aren't together." Furina's face was slightly flushed as she made that denial. However, she noticed Clorinde's eyes were not on her but on something else in the corner of the room. She followed her gaze and— "...Okay, so he stays here sometimes. That doesn't mean anything!" The pillows and blanket Aether used were neatly folded away there; Furina had neglected to bring them in that morning.

"Don't you two take turns cooking every night?"

"No." …that only happens on the nights he is around but she wasn't going to tell Clorinde that. "And even if we were together— which we aren't —what difference would that make?"

"For starters, I'd have to congratulate you on taking a step forward with your life, Furina. I may have only worked for you the last few years but throughout that time, I never saw you interested in a potential suitor," Clorinde smiled.

"Well… things are different now." Even if she was ever interested in anyone back when she was Archon, she couldn't in good faith pursue them or let them pursue her. Their entire relationship would be built on a foundation of lies and she was always expecting to bow out of her role eventually. If that were to happen when there was someone standing by her side… "And none of those people trying to win me over were my type anyway. Even if they were to come out of the woodwork and try to court me, I'd still turn them down."

"And if it were Aether to ask you out?"

Furina was sure her face was impersonating a tomato now after that question. However— "To be completely honest, I don't know," she sighed, completely catching Clorinde off guard. "I'm not sure how I feel about him nor am I sure how he feels about me. I… don't know what we actually are at this point."

"Is that so…" Clorinde muttered. However, to Furina's surprise, she smiled. "I believe you'll figure everything out, Furina. And whatever conclusion you come to, I'll always be here to help you— all of us will."

"Th… thank you, Clorinde." Furina was grateful she said that, but she had the sinking suspicion Clorinde was expecting her to come to one specific realisation…

After seeing Clorinde off, Furina collapsed onto the couch and let out a long sigh. The Champion Duelist had stayed a lot longer than she thought she would and it was about time for Aether to come back. She should start making lunch but she was too troubled to do so. Clorinde's question was stuck in her mind on a loop.

What if Aether did ask her out?

She honestly had no clue how she'd react. She liked him, of course, but not to that extent… right? Thinking about it was only making her feel more complicated. There was also the possibility he'd only ask her out cause he was tired of home cooking and wanted to eat something different. In that case, she'd naturally say yes. But what if it was another scenario? What if he—

—knock knock

Oh, speak of the devil…

Furina tried to shake those thoughts away as she got up to answer the door. As much as she disliked it, she'll have to leave cooking duties to him today— "Welcome ba— Oh, monsieur Lévesque! What a surprise!" Instead of Aether, it was her landlord standing outside her door. Her confused feelings immediately turned to worry, especially when she noticed the documents in his hands. "Er… I didn't do anything wrong, did I?" She knew she was on thin ice following the flooding incident but she didn't think anything happened since then to warrant another visit.

Fortunately, he eased her worries and told her he wasn't here for anything terrible. He still wished to talk to her privately though, and asked if he could step in.

"Of course, of course! Do you want tea? I was just entertaining a guest and still have some left though it might be lukewarm."

"There is no need, Miss de Fontaine. I won't be here long," he declined as he entered the apartment. "Is the Traveller here? He may want to be here to hear this."

"No, he's not back yet. He should be here soon assuming he didn't get caught with anything." Furina noticed him raise an eyebrow when she said 'Not back yet.'

"Hmm, too bad. Then I'll need you to tell him for me," Lévesque told her before clearing his throat. "Miss de Fontaine, how thoroughly did you read your lease? Specifically, about letting another person stay the night?"

"I… admit I skimmed through that part of my contract." At the time she had no reason to read that thoroughly. It wasn't like she was expecting to do that…

"Before you worry, you haven't broken anything in our agreement— about that —but to refresh your memory, it's fine if you let a friend of yours stay over. What I'm taking issue with is the Traveller specifically. Am I wrong in saying he spends most nights here nowadays?"

Furina wanted to deny that it's been most nights but after a second of thinking— "Every other night, yes…"

"And where does he go when he's not here."

"I believe he stays in the Fleuve Cendre. The President of the Spina du Rosula is a friend of his and she lets him stay at their base there."

"I see, I see… Is it his official address in Fontaine?" She shook her head and told him Aether doesn't have anything tied to his name in the whole nation. "Then that makes this easy. Here, have him fill it out."

He handed over the papers and Furina scanned through the documents. She recognised the first one immediately: it was the same contract they were talking about— the terms and conditions for residing in the building. The second was also familiar too… wait… "Ho—hold on just a second! You want him to move in with me?!"

"He already has, hasn't he? He's certainly stayed here enough to be considered so legally."

'He has?!' He's only slept here for about… half the time in the last month and a half and… visited here basically every day… 'Oh.' "Is that really enough for him to be considered living here?" She asked on the brink of dying from shock and embarrassment.

"You know more about the law than me, Miss de Fontaine. What do you think?" Lévesque asked with a hint of a grin. "Though if I were to ask others about your current arrangements, what do you think they'll say?" Seeing as Clorinde was already throwing shade at her, Furina knew the answer to that… "If he's already staying here, might as well make things official. It makes things easier for me."

"Bu… what am I supposed to tell him?!"

"I'll leave that for you to figure out. I expect a reply by next week. Now, that is all I have to say so I bid you adieu." With a smirk on his face, her landlord excused himself and left the panicking Furina to her devices. Her mind was racing as she stared at the documents set on the table; various scenarios ran through her head on ways to approach Aether about this but every single one of them ended with her mental construction of him turning her down. The last few ended with her dying of embarrassment. She knew that she might be overblowing things but that did little to calm her down.

'How am I even going to approach the topic?!' She quickly lost track of time as she agonised over everything. As if she didn't have enough on her mind already?!

—knock knock

And there he was. Furina tried her best to appear calm as she went to open it, her head still full of conflicting thoughts. "Oh," she let out a breath she didn't realise she was holding. A part of her had been dreading that someone else might have been there to make her day worse. Sure, Aether was also the last person she wanted to see at the moment but it was better than nothing. "Welcome home, Aether," she greeted him without a second thought before stepping back to let him in.

…

…

…

'WHAT?!' Furina's mind shut down as she registered what she just said. 'Welcome home?! Home?!' Why did she say that for?! What was Aether going to say? What will everyone else say if they learn she—

"Ow— Furina? Is something wrong?" Aether asked after accidentally bumping into her. It seems that he didn't notice what she said either and was worried when she suddenly stopped in the middle of her tracks.

"No–nothing!" She was sure her voice cracked there but Furina quickly recomposed herself. "Er… I just have a lot on my mind right now. I still haven't cleaned up after myself and Clorinde." She gestured towards the coffee table… only to immediately regret it when she noticed the papers were still there too. Aether noticed them too and asked about it to which she answered, "Don't mind that, it's nothing important."

Furina quickly ran over and took them. She definitely looked suspicious but she wasn't thinking clearly anymore. After asking him if he could start making lunch, Furina retreated into her room and slammed the door. '…Damn it all,' she cursed her luck; at this point, she knew for sure Celestia was punishing her for what she and her mirror self had done.

A/N: And done! And Happy New Year! The first chapter of 2024 is here and it's all about Furina getting forced by the universe (i.e. me) to be with Aether. She needs happiness after all. Now the next question Furina has to ask Aether is if he wants to officially move in with her… even though they are not (yet) together. This will be fun.

Anyway, not much else to say so as always, thank you all for reading, please leave a comment, and see you all next time!